The Ballad of the Treasure
by writer writing
Summary: When an eccentric and wealthy elderly lady dies and leaves the small town she lives in her greatest treasure with only obscure instructions on how to find it, instructions that take a biblical expert to decode, the treasure-hungry town enlists the help of Sister Ruth. 1845. AU. Sixteenth in a series.
1. Chapter 1

Sister Ruth and Kid Cole were taking a walk along the beach in San Francisco.

Ruth stopped to watch a ship come in. There was something about the vastness of the ocean that was mesmerizing, especially when one considered that the Lord was so much more infinite that the earth was but His footstool. She watched until the bobbing boat started making her queasy.

When she turned to speak to Kid, she found him crouched down in the sand just a little ways off.

"Honey, you alright?" she called, running to catch up with him. She feared the worst.

But he wasn't having a coughing spell. Instead, he held up a flat, circular disc that flashed yellow in the sunlight. "A Spanish coin. Most likely belonged to some buccaneer from last century."

"Well, goodness! What's it doing just lying there in the sand?"

"Must have washed up from an old ship wreck."

"Well, I'll be. You ain't thinking about going on some kind of treasure hunt, are you?" She could see the interested gleam in his eyes and was afraid his imagination was going to run away with him. "Cause you're supposed to be taking it easy. Doctor's orders."

"Nah, I'm not, but if I was even 10 years younger, I know what I'd do. I'd go grab me a shovel and hunt down some pirate gold."

 _June 1845_

As the Coles rode up to the small town of Dry Gulch, a strange sight greeted them. There were large round holes everywhere that made it impossible for their wagon to go any further. Kid brought the horses to a halt.

"It's like the town's been infested with giant groundhogs," Ruth said, her voice full of wonder.

"What's a groundhog?" 4-year-old Isaiah asked from inside the covered wagon.

"Like a gopher," his 8-year-old sister, Mercy, explained. "They dig holes, but I've never seen any critters make holes this big."

"I believe humans made these," Kid said.

"Well, why on earth would they do that?" Ruth asked as 1-year-old Gideon squirmed in her lap. Ever since he'd learned to walk, there was no holding him back. He wanted to see everything and be in everything. No doubt he'd make a beeline for a hole if she'd let him. "Down, Momma, down," he was pleading with her.

"I don't think so, son," Ruth answered.

Before they could wonder any more about the holes, a large gathering of people made their way towards the wagon.

"Are we glad to see you, Sister Ruth," one of them said, their elected leader from the prominent way he stood out in front.

It was no lie. There were smiles and excited looks on most everyone's faces. These were about the most welcoming people she'd ever seen. No one had ever wanted revival as much as these people seemed to or at least so badly that they came out and met her at the wagon. Maybe there was an epidemic going on, but those didn't look like holes for burying people unless they had some strange kind of burial custom. "Really?" she asked, hoping they'd provide the reason.

"You're an answer to a prayer. We saw you while you were still in the distance and we knew you could help us." He held a document of some kind in his hand. He offered it to her for her to read.

She passed Gideon, who was already trying to take the paper, off to Kid, so she could look at it.

Out loud she read, "In the name of God, Amen. I, Eunice St. Martin, being in bodily health and of a sound mind-"

"That was debatable," someone snickered.

She ignored that sentiment and continued to read, "-do declare this to be my last will and testament.

"First, I recommend my soul unto God that gave it and my body I commit to the Earth. I leave my worldly estate to the building of a church in Dry Gulch and a home for widows and orphans with the leftover proceeds to fund the salaries of a minister and the director of the home." This wasn't making any sense. Did they want her for one of the positions?

"Keep reading," the man urged.

"To the town of Dry Gulch, I leave my most prized treasure. To be shared among the residents equally. With the hope that it will be productively searched for and found, I leave only a clue to where it's buried."

With the word buried, the mystery of the holes was solved. The rest of the will was just about the witnesses and the date, but it ended with the clue.

"Come, follow me. Go where the wind bringeth forth the rain to the place where they gave sweet fragrance to all their idols." Ruth handed the will back. "Huh. That sounds like words from the Bible."

"We think so to, especially since Ms. St. Martin was so religious. Every member of this town that can read and some that can't has been pouring over their Bibles trying to figure out what it means."

"And digging up the town too from the look of things," she added.

"That's why we need your help. You're the closest thing to a concordance we got. You think you can figure out the clue?"

"I'm almost certain." She looked to Kid to see what he thought. It wasn't why they'd come to town to seek after buried treasure, but she'd be preventing the people and horses in the town from getting hurt due to all the manmade potholes and maybe once she'd helped them find earthly treasure, she could focus on helping them find heavenly treasure.

"I say go for it, baby. It sounds kind of fun," Kid said.

"Then a treasure-hunting we will go, I reckon." She laughed at the excited sounds coming from the back. The idea obviously appealed to Mercy and Isaiah.


	2. Chapter 2

Sister Ruth tied on her apron. It was always a pleasure to have a real cook stove and fresh ingredients. She was going to surprise her still sleeping family with a big home-cooked breakfast. The town had been lovely enough to provide them with a furnished cabin for the duration of their stay.

She hadn't even cracked her first egg before there was a knock at the door.

A lady was there, wearing a big wide grin and holding a large iron pot.

"What's this?" Ruth asked, smiling back.

"A pot of grits. Butter and cheese mixed in there fresh from my stove. My family's waiting on me, but I wanted to make sure you had plenty of food."

"Well, thank you very much, sister. You didn't have to go to all that trouble though."

"Well, the less time spent cooking, the more time there is for you to hunt treasure."

"I reckon that's true. Thanks again. It smells really good."

No sooner had she shut the door and set the pot down when there was another knock. This time with a woman bearing biscuits. And so it continued until in the span of 30 minutes, the table was covered in dishes. More of a feast than Ruth had intended to have.

"Where did all this come from?" Kid asked, having awoken to the smell of the coffee, also courtesy of a townswoman.

"What? You don't believe I whipped all this up in 30 minutes?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"You might help miracles happen, but even you couldn't pray all this food up," he said, teasing back. "As good a cook as you are."

"Who says I couldn't?"

"It looks like a breakfast genie came!" Mercy declared.

She laughed. "Not quite. Just some helpful neighbors."

Kid offered to clean up afterwards, so Ruth could get started tracking down the verse or verses the clue came from.

Settling down with her Bible, she figured Proverbs and Psalms was a good place to start being probably the most well-read books of the Old Testament and since Proverbs was much shorter, she started with that.

Before she even got through the first chapter, Mercy was impatiently dancing around her like she had ants in her petticoats. Ruth struggled to keep from smiling and tried to focus on the reading. There were times her shy daughter was more like her than not.

"You need something or are you just trying out some new dance steps?" Ruth finally asked with a laugh.

"When does the treasure hunting part start? I want to go dig a hole."

"I think there's plenty of those right now. We want to make sure we're digging the right one. If you want though, you can go get your Bible and help me."

She did and she started with Genesis, but it wasn't long before she gave up and went to playing with her dolls instead.

But Proverbs had been the right guess. "The north wind driveth away rain: so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue." She copied the whole verse down on a piece of paper though it sounded as if north was probably the key word. She just had one more piece of the clue to track down.

Kid was spending his time chasing after Gideon to keep him from falling, as the toddler was in the mood to try climbing every piece of furniture in the house, a rare treat for a boy who lived in a covered wagon most of the year.

"They're filling in their holes," Kid commented, having just rescued Gideon from toppling in a chair near the window.

"Thank the Lord. It's about time. It's a miracle someone ain't been hurt having to sidestep them."

She tapped her nails against the table, trying to decide whether to stay in Proverbs or go elsewhere. Talk of idols was scattered throughout the Bible. It could be almost any book, but it sounded like it might have come from one of the prophets' books, if memory served, so she started in that section this time. But this search was slower going and she worked well into the afternoon. She pinched the bridge of her nose as the black letters were starting to swim against the white.

They'd decide that morning lunch would be leftovers since there was so much of it. "Come eat," Kid said, having seen the action. "No one's expecting you to read the whole Bible in one day."

"That would be a feat wouldn't it? I'll take a break, but I know I'm close."

She'd just raised her head up from saying grace over the lunch when she caught sight of a man. He didn't look too intimidating being on the thin and short side; the only thing that looked big about him was his black, bushy mustache, but he was staring in through the window, frightening her. "Oh, Lord."

Kid turned to see what had made her call out. She watched as Kid's cheeks turned red and his eyes narrowed. He took the business of protecting his family seriously because he had to and he drew his gun.

Ruth figured the man probably just wanted to see how things were progressing, but it didn't change the fact that it was unsettling having the man watching them through the glass. "Just close the curtains. I really don't think he's up to no good." She would've liked to have said that this had never happened before, but it wasn't so unusual for a person, hoping for a glimpse of Kid Cole or Sister Ruth, to peek in. And there was always the occasional run-in with the drunk or cocky man who wanted to test how fast Kid really was with a gun. But praise God, so far they had never been faster and no one had ever fired at the kids though she's sheltered them on more than one occasion for safety's sake.

"Sometimes I want to settle somewhere where the only souls around are us," he grumbled, closing the curtains harder than necessary. The man had done left as soon as Kid had drawn the gun though.

"Should've closed them from the start, I suppose. Good thing I don't like going around in my nightdress," she said, trying to lighten his mood a little.

It seemed to work coupled with the fact that they spent the rest of the afternoon undisturbed.

"Found it," she said at last and read the verse aloud. '...under every thick oak, the place where they did offer sweet savour to all their idols.' It must be under an oak tree."

As if he were psychic, Mr. Berg, the man who'd given her the will to read, was at the door only minutes after.

"How's it coming?" he asked.

"Good, I believe. Is there an oak tree to the north of town?"

His eyes lit up. "There certainly is. We're in your debt, Sister Ruth."

"Well, don't thank me yet. I could be wrong, but that's what the verses seemed to indicate put together like that."

"Why don't you and your family come along? See what we uncover."

So Ruth, Kid, and the children followed Mr. Berg. The whole town seemed to be watching their every move either openly or from inside their houses and the size of their party grew with each step, everyone knowing full well what was going on with the shovel that Mr. Berg had stopped to get.

With a crowd gathered around them again, Kid did the honors of digging at Mr. Berg's insistence, saying they'd earned it. Kid thought it more likely Mr. Berg was just tired of digging, but he didn't mind. Though grass was rampant around the tree, showing Ms. St. Martin had been planning this for quite some time, there was still a patch where the grass was a little less lush.

The box Kid found wasn't buried very deep. It was really small, more of a jewelry box than a treasure chest and not a very fancy one, but something of value must have been inside, considering her wealth. Kid handed it to Ruth, feeling she should open it since she solved the puzzle.

It wasn't treasure at all inside. It was another clue and the disappointment from those gathered was palatable.

"I knew this was too easy," Mr. Berg grumbled though he'd been practically salivating over imagined treasure just a few moments ago. "Ms. St. Martin enjoyed her games far too much for there only to be one clue. What's it say?"

Ruth read it aloud for everyone's benefit. "Go to the man who is hungry, whose strength faileth: who drinketh no water, and is faint. You will find the one whose neck is clothed with thunder and under the place he makes his bed you will find what you seek."


	3. Chapter 3

Ruth gave Mercy the box to play with while she got started searching for the next clue. Mercy wanted to use it in her imaginary pirate game.

It wasn't but a few minutes after that before Mercy came trembling and holding out the box, "I broke it."

Kid took it from her and pulled out the slab of wood that was inside. "You didn't break it. It just has a false bottom." He pulled out a piece of yellowed paper, handing it off to Ruth.

"It's a diary page," she said. "It's all in French though. At least, I think it's French."

Kid glanced at it. "It's definitely not Spanish. How we going to read it?"

"I don't know. It's dated 1686, and it looks as if it was written by a child's hand. Hopefully, there's someone in this town who knows the language."

"Well, we'll find out tomorrow," Kid said firmly. "You've done more than enough today."

Mercy looked disappointed. She wanted to know what the page said. Ruth didn't blame her as she was dying to know herself.

sss

After breakfast, Ruth went to ask Mr. Berg whether anyone in town knew French.

"Only one that I know of," he replied. "She's a bitter, distantly related cousin, who feels the estate and everything in it should have gone to her."

She prayed she would be willing to help even so.

"Why do you need to know French?" he asked her with a distrustful look.

There was no reason to lie. "My daughter found a paper with French on it. It might be another clue."

"Let me know what it says, but it's better if you talk to Ms. De La Fontaine alone." It was a beautiful surname, but it didn't roll off Mr. Berg's tongue as elegantly as it was intended to with a French pronunciation. "She's not too fond of me since I'm leading the hunt for what she considers rightfully hers".

He gave her directions to the house. It was a nice house. Ms. De La Fontaine was most definitely not living in poverty. She was comfortably middle class.

"Yes?" she asked when she opened the door. A middle-aged woman with a scowl on her face.

"Good morning, sister. I was wondering if you could do me a small favor." When the woman made no smile or comment, Ruth continued, "I found something that needs translation into English and I was told you know French."

"Why should I help you?" she asked, folding her arms.

"Won't you receive a part of the inheritance if you help us find the treasure?"

"It should have all been mine. I cared for that woman in her last days like she was my own mother and this was the thanks I got. Let the others find it." She started to close the door.

"Please, it'll just take a moment. I think it has something to with your family. It's from a diary."

That got her interest though there was still a moment of hesitation. Finally, she sighed. "I will read it for you."

"I didn't bring it with me because I wasn't sure I'd find someone who read French. I'll just go back and-"

"No, no. I'll go with you."

Though the woman had agreed to go, she wasn't happy about it. Ruth was wary about handing the fragile piece of paper over to her when they got there, but Ms. De La Fontaine handled it very carefully and read out loud.

"The dragoons bounced Grand-père in a blanket. Why are they so mean? We've done nothing wrong. But they continue to stay in our home, eating our food, and sleeping in our beds. I hate them. Papa said we should hate no one, but I do. They made Maman go into the back with them and when she came out, she was crying. I think then Papa hated them too. They are tearing our home apart, looking for something. What could they hope to find? I'm scared. -Nanette"

"That poor child," Ruth said though in truth Nanette was actually much older and long gone besides. Her heart still hurt for this unknown girl of the past. "We were wrong. I think we found a treasure after all. There's probably more pages of this diary, which will no doubt all go to you when everything's said and done, sister."

Ms. De La Fontaine didn't seem to hear her. "It must be the treasure they were looking for! And it must have been very valuable if they were tearing the house apart to find it."

"Well, we won't know what it is until we find the next page or the treasure itself. Thank you so much for your help," Ruth said with a smile.

She received a scowl in turn and Ms. De La Fontaine left without another word.

"Nice woman," Kid said sarcastically.

"We should pray for her," Ruth said in reply.

Kid chuckled softly. That was about all she would say about anybody. Unless she was mad at him and then she thought of all kinds of colorful names like fool and interesting animal monikers.

Ruth took to her Bible again. It took her the whole rest of the day to find out what the next clue meant, but find it she did as she always had a general idea of where the verse might be found since she read and studied her Bible daily.

"'Go to the man who is hungry, whose strength faileth: who drinketh no water, and is faint.' It's talking about a blacksmith. It must be somewhere in the blacksmith's house."

"That was one strange lady. What'd she do break into his house when he wasn't there?" Kid said with a shake of his head. "Too late to go see him today. He's probably in bed."

"I agree."

There was a clatter just outside the house. Kid ran to see who it was, but he didn't see anybody. "Must've been a cat or a dog."

"Hmmm. Or another eavesdropper. I get the feeling nobody in this town trusts anybody else. They think someone's going to make off with the treasure. Especially me since I can provide answers to the clues."

"Idiots then."

"They don't know my treasures are all right here," she said, picking up Gideon and kissing his chubby cheek. God and her family were everything to her. She didn't really understand people who put wealth above either one.


	4. Chapter 4

"You little monkey. You're going to be the child that breaks your fool neck or at least an arm or a leg," Ruth complained as she snatched Gideon off of the kitchen table.

He grinned at her in response, not looking sorry in the least.

"Sorry, Ruth," Kid apologized. "I was handling Isaiah's tantrum and didn't see him climb up there."

"No harm done. I know I ain't been much help with the kids the past couple of days. Hopefully we find the treasure today."

After a breakfast once again provided by townspeople, the Coles set out for the blacksmith's house.

"What on earth?" Ruth said as they approached.

There was already a crowd gathered around. It was possible another had discovered the meaning of the clue first, but she thought it more likely she'd been right last night about it being a person and not beast that had caused the noise.

At the center of the crowd was the blacksmith. He was a hearty fellow like most blacksmiths. His face was red from anger though rather than the forge. He was yelling and pointing. His eyes latched onto Sister Ruth.

"You," he said, spittle flying and the finger now pointing at her. "You did it."

"Did what?" she asked, perfectly calm.

He curled his finger for her to come forward. She wouldn't have followed him into the house in his surly mood and Kid wouldn't have let her, but he went to one of the windows and pointed in.

It was easy to see why he was upset. The bed lay crooked in the middle of the room obviously out of place and where the bed used to rest against the wall, there were boards of broken wood pulled up from the floor and small piles of dirt where someone had done some minor digging underneath that.

"I'm so sorry. I had nothing to do with that. Though I do think the next clue might be somewhere on your property. I reckon some one else had the same idea."

"I went to get a fire going, stopping only to talk to a customer, and I came back to this. If I get my hands on the neck of the person-"

"Wait. The other part of the clue..." It suddenly came to her. She couldn't remember where she'd read it exactly, but she believed the second part about the neck clothed with thunder referred to a horse. It wasn't in the house at all but out in a stable. "You have a horse?"

"Well, of course I have a horse. Several of them." His glare would have cowed most, but Ruth didn't seem to pay it any mind.

"Where do you keep them?"

"Where do you think?" He was still angry but must have realized he was going to get a cut of the treasure too for he said more evenly, "In the stable next to my house. Come. I'll show you."

There were 4 stalls. She chose to check the stall of the dark-colored horse since its gray-black coat reminded her of thunder. "Let's try this one."

The blacksmith held onto the horse while Ruth went in. She clacked her heels on the boards, feeling for any give in them. One did feel loose sure enough. She crouched down, sweeping the straw away with her hands, and with a little bit of tugging, the board came up in her hand and under the board was a box much like the first.

"Anything in it is mine. It's on my property," the blacksmith declared, causing the crowd to break out into argument.

Ignoring them, she let Isaiah open the box and take out the piece of paper in it. It didn't surprise her this time to find another clue.

The crowd silenced and Ruth read, "The Lord looks from His sanctuary, from heaven the Lord beholds the earth and hears the groaning of this man so that he may declare the name of the Lord. Open this as Daniel did and walk while you have the light when the sun is at its highest point and soon meaning will be made clear."

There were grumblings most of all from the blacksmith as folks cleared out, he was muttering about crazy women, either referring to Sister Ruth or the late Ms. St. Martin or maybe both.

Ruth waited until they were out of the stable before she let Mercy see if this box had another false bottom. It did with another diary page at the bottom.

Ruth took it out for a closer look, and Mr. Berg was standing at her elbow, so close she could smell coffee on his breath, or at least he was until Kid grabbed the man by his own elbow and pulled him back some.

"This page might tell us what the treasure is," he said, the sound of glee in his voice.

"That's what Ms. De La Fontaine will have to tell us," Ruth said, wondering if it was Mr. Berg outside their house. Ms. De La Fontaine was also a prime suspect. Though truth be told, the whole town was suspect except for maybe the blacksmith.

They went to the woman's house for another translation. Mr. Berg staying behind again.

"Found another one, did you?" Ms. De La Fontaine said when she opened the door. She moved to let them in and took to reading as soon as she was handed the page.

"The dragoons finally left. They didn't find whatever they were looking for, which relieved Papa and Maman greatly. We were able to go to church this Sunday in the forest. Papa says we're closer to God that way being out in his creation. I think it's more about being afraid the dragoons will find us. Why don't they want us to go to church? Why do they want to hurt us? -Nanette"

"Still nothing about what the treasure is," Ms. De La Fontaine griped.

Ruth was starting to suspect she knew exactly what the treasure was.


	5. Chapter 5

Mr. Berg was at the door bright and early the next day. "Good morning, Sister Ruth. Found the answer to the next clue yet?" he asked eagerly.

"Not yet," she answered with a polite smile as she scooped up Gideon who was streaking after getting his diaper changed and trying to get outside.

Kid took him from her. "I'll get his gown on for you."

"Why are ya'll so dressed up?" he asked, eying the family in their Sunday best.

"I'm holding a Sunday meeting since there's no church to attend around here yet. I hope you'll be there," she said, flashing him a friendly smile.

"Shouldn't you be focused on finding the answer to the next clue? I guess you can hunt through the Bible after church though."

The man was full of himself if he thought she needed his permission to hold a service. "I'm not going to hunt treasure on a Sunday. It's a day of rest to worship the Lord. I'll start looking for the answer again on Monday." Her tone held a note of finality on the matter.

"Very well then," he grumbled. She doubted he would be there from his attitude.

Kid had gotten the word out yesterday evening that there'd be a service at the edge of town, but as they headed that way, they saw few people were out and about.

Some glances into passing windows and she could see what most of them were doing instead, combing through the Bible for an answer to the clue. Not the way which one should approach the Word of God on the holiest day of the week, with only thoughts of gold or jewels on the mind, but at least they were reading it and hopefully absorbing it. That was something.

Kid helped her unload pews while Mercy watched the boys.

"Momma, Gideon stinks," Mercy said with a wrinkled nose as soon as they were finished.

"Oh, good heavens, that's twice in one morning. Some work just don't stop. Come here, baby boy."

"I'll do it," Kid said. "You did the last one."

"Thank you, honey. I appreciate it." She doubted few men were as involved in the care of their children as Kid was with his. Though probably few men had as much time as Kid was afforded, but some would still let pride stand in the way.

She wished she'd gone with the diaper though when she saw the quarrel going on with her other 2 children. A fight that had started because Mercy had splashed him with water from the creek that flowed right behind the wagon. Too low to swim in but just right for splashing. Isaiah had retaliated using his fists.

Mercy was old enough and tall enough to hold him back from her with a palm to his forehead, which she was doing.

Ruth went over at once. "Isaiah Benjamin Cole, don't you hit your sister. Mercy, you know he don't like being splashed. That was unkind and lacking Christian charity. Apologize."

"Sorry," she mumbled, dragging her shoe through the dust.

Ruth would have demanded one of Isaiah too, but the stubborn set of his mouth let her know he was too steamed to give one. "As soon as you simmer down, you need to give her one too."

She held onto him until Kid came back with Gideon and was able to take over.

Ruth's mind took a different turn as she went to greet the early comers. She wondered if Isaiah would ever be baptized. He was going to be 5 in a few months, so it wasn't as if he didn't have plenty of time, but as much as he hated and feared water, he would never want to be totally submerged in it. There was nothing wrong with sprinkling like some churches did, but he hated that too. Would the Lord understand if he was never baptized and accept his faith alone?

She believed God took into account people's weaknesses as long as they came to faith. He would understand how much Isaiah hated water. And who was to say Isaiah wouldn't outgrow it? She worried about Isaiah's ways sometimes, but God had created him the way he was. He was in His loving hands, baptism or no baptism. She began a hymn that seemed just perfect to the thoughts in her mind and lifted an arm in praise.

"Rocked in the cradle of the deep  
I lay me down in peace to sleep;  
Secure I rest upon the wave,  
For thou, O Lord! hast power to save  
I know thou wilt not slight my call,  
For Thou dost mark the sparrow's fall  
And calm and peaceful shall I sleep,  
Rocked in the cradle of the deep."


	6. Chapter 6

Kid stood up from the table as Ruth came into the kitchen.

She kissed him good morning. "Sit down, honey. Gideon was up early, so me and him done had our breakfast. I was just coming back for a second cup of coffee. Morning, Mercy, Isaiah."

He sat back down after scooting Isaiah closer to the table. Ruth had made their plates up for them already. "If your eyes get tired, rest them," he warned. "No sense going blind, trying to feed this town's greed."

"I will, but I am enjoying myself doing it," she said as she poured her cup. "I don't reckon anyone found the answer yesterday. At least, they didn't tell me if they did."

"I'm sure we would've heard them hooping and hollering in celebration if that were the case."

"Ain't that the truth," she said, leaving them, so they could say grace and get down to eating. Isaiah was starting to look impatient and Mercy, who was not a morning person, looked like she might fall back to sleep any minute.

Gideon had fallen asleep on the floor, which was no surprise to her considering he'd been up at first light. He seemed to think if the sun was up, he had to be up too. After putting a pillow under his head, she cracked open her Bible. She took occasional sips of her dark brew as she read.

By midmorning she'd found the answer in Psalms. When it said, "The Lord looks from His sanctuary, from heaven the Lord beholds the earth and hears the groaning of this man so that he may declare the name of the Lord," it was speaking of a prisoner. Which meant the clue was probably talking of a jail.

She didn't have to look up the second part that said, "Open this as Daniel did."

She knew Daniel had opened the window to pray as he'd always done, despite there being a law against prayer.

"Already?" Kid asked when she shut the Bible. He'd been strumming on his guitar, providing a light background music while he watched the kids play. "You're on a roll."

"Let's just hope we find the elusive treasure this time."

Taking the kids along, the Coles went to track Mr. Berg down. They met in the street. He was coming to check up on her apparently.

"You figured it out?" he asked right away.

"I think so," Ruth answered him. "Is there a jail in town?"

"More of a holding cell than a jail really. We don't even have a sheriff, but one never knows when we might have need of it."

How sad, Ruth thought, that the town felt they had more need of a prison than a church, but Ms. St. Martin's money would soon rectify that.

"So that's where it is," Mr. Berg continued, "What a strange place to hide it with a thief, but then she was a strange lady as you might've figured out. Well, what are we waiting on? Follow me," he said, starting to take off in the direction of the cell.

"Since it's so close to lunch we thought we'd have a picnic while we wait for the midday sun," Ruth said.

"Midday sun?" Mr. Berg repeated.

"Don't you remember the clue? 'when the sun is at its highest point'. Nothing to stop us from going now, of course, but it'll be easier to see where the sun's hitting and a body's got to eat. You hungry?"

Mr. Berg looked as if he didn't have the time to waste on food and was about to say no, but Ruth spoke again.

"Come on and enjoy life a little, Brother Berg. The treasure ain't going anywhere. We got more than enough."

While Ruth tried to talk Mr. Berg into joining them, Kid had gone over to the patch of land designated as the future church and spread out the blanket.

"I don't guess a half hour's going to make much of a difference," he agreed. "Okay, Sister Ruth. Lunch first."

After a fine lunch of ham biscuits, pickles, and cookies, they went to the holding cell. It was slightly smaller than a log cabin but did the job. It had an iron bar door inside and an iron bar window with a wooden shutter, and the walls were made with small to medium-sized gray stones.

Kid went in first and opened the wooden shutters to let the light stream in. Sure enough the stone the ray hit was loose and came right out without a bit of struggle when Ruth pulled on it.

"This is so much fun!" Mercy exclaimed, who really must have been excited as she rarely spoke in front of strangers.

Isaiah was watching eagerly too. Gideon kept himself busy by shaking the bars and trying to figure out how one climbed up them.

"That's good to know Ms. St. Martin jeopardized the security of the cell," Mr. Berg mumbled. "That woman was some kind of magician or fairy sneaking around leaving empty treasure boxes everywhere."

"Too bad she ain't here to tell the story of how she did all of this without anyone taking notice. I think I would have liked Ms. St. Martin. You reckon there's spiders in there?" Ruth wondered aloud. She wasn't particularly eager to put her hand in the dark hole.

Kid chuckled and reached in for her, withdrawing another small treasure box. He allowed Isaiah to open it again to reveal yet another clue, which Ruth read. "The dirt here is sweet. In this prison, you will find both answers and warning. You will know me by the fact that I keep company with Bilshan, Baanah, and Bigvai."

"The next box is here too then," Mr. Berg said.

"I don't think it's speaking of a literal prison," Ruth countered.

"Where then? The rest of it sounds like nonsense to me."

"I don't know, but the answer's somewhere in the Bible."

"This is starting to feel like a wild goose chase," he grumbled. "I'm starting to doubt there really is a treasure."

Mercy had taken out the expected diary page, and the door swung open, startling them all. It was Ms. De La Fountaine. "I spied what you were up to and I thought I might as well come to you this time." She frowned at the mustached man. "Mr. Berg," she said with obvious distaste.

"Ms. De La Fountaine," he returned with an equal measure of distaste.

"You and Mr. Berg have a curious habit of popping up at just the right time today," Kid commented.

"Honey, don't be rude," Ruth said softly. "Here, sister. You don't know how grateful for your translations."

After a sniff of dislike in Kid's direction, she read, "Papa has been locked up! I heard Maman and Grand-père talking about it. They said if he didn't die in jail, he would serve out his sentence as a galley slave or as a slave in Turkey. Grand-père said Papa would want us to escape. Maman insisted if we went, Grand-père too would come, but he said he was too old. Maman was still not sure about leaving, but when he told her they may take me to be raised by nuns, she agreed. Then Grand-père asked her if she still had it. She said she keeps it on her person at all times. What will Maman take with us? Why did they lock Papa up? Where will we go? I'm more scared than ever. Especially without Papa. -Nanette"

"Why do people have to be so cruel to each other?" Ruth asked nobody in particular with glistening eyes. She was effected emotionally by this once little girl's story. "And why do people want to withhold from others the right and liberty to worship God as our conscience leads us? I'll tell you why. Satan. He ain't happy unless Christians are fighting against each other and the outside world is persecuting us. Lord, protect us from a time that we see that kind of persecution here in America. Where expressing faith and trust in You and Your Word lands us in jail or worse."


	7. Chapter 7

Before the end of the day, Sister Ruth had found the answer to the first half of the clue. The word prison had clued her right off and she'd found certainty to her conjecture in Job. The dirt of a grave was called sweet.

That left a problem. They couldn't go digging willy-nilly in a graveyard. She hadn't recognized the names in the clue. She'd have to go through all the begats and other lists of names to figure out what the second half meant. An answer that hopefully would leave them without any doubt about where to dig.

Morning light broke into the room. Everything was quiet and still. Too still. She longed to get out of the house and stretch her limbs and soak in some sunshine. She needed a walk. Some fresh air. She'd sat much too motionless these past few days.

Kid was usually up before her unless Gideon got her up first. He sometimes even made the coffee. She was up before him today though.

She got ready first and then laid a hand on his bare and well-toned arm. He was a light enough sleeper that it made him stir. "Honey, I'm going to go on a walk."

He tried to respond, but he was too hoarse.

"You sick?" she asked, feeling his forehead for fever.

After a herculean effort to clear his throat, he managed a croaky, "Just with the consumption, darling."

"Maybe I shouldn't go. I'll go make you some tea and-"

He cut her off. "Go. I'll be alright."

It went against her better judgment, but he was too stubborn not to keep arguing and she didn't want him straining his vocal chords any further. "You get some more rest. I'll see if I can't track down some honey. Don't be talking if you can help it." She opened the window, hoping the slight breeze outside would be beneficial. He seemed to do best when they were traveling in the fresh air and sunshine. "Keep the window open. Unless you get too cold. If you do, have Mercy close it. And pound the table like you're supposed to. We all know it means you want us. Don't yell, so that you get to coughing."

"Yes, ma'am, Mrs. Cole."

She smiled. When he called her ma'am and Mrs. Cole together like that, it was his way of saying she was being too bossy. No doubt she was, but she did worry about him. "I'll get out of your hair then." She gave him a light kiss. "I won't be long."

She checked on the children before she left, who were afforded their own private room. Gideon was still sleeping for once.

"Where you going, Momma?" Mercy asked sleepily, not even lifting her head from the pillow.

"On a walk. Want to go?" Isaiah could close the window just as well she figured.

"No thank you," she said, turning over.

She looked around the room. "Get some of these things picked up before your brothers get up. Someone's libel to break their neck." Mercy's toys were scattered around, so that it was like walking through a land mine. Nonetheless, she tiptoed in further to stress the next part. "Listen out for your father. He might need you."

She saw her middle child was awake too. "Isaiah?"

"No, Momma," he answered right away, knowing she was asking him to go on a walk. He was not an outdoorsy sort of child anytime of the day.

"Well, then. See ya'll in a bit. Be good. I won't be happy if I find out ya'll caused your daddy any trouble."

She tried not to worry over Kid and enjoy the walk. Praying about it soothed her spirit a whole lot, but her strides were quicker than they might have otherwise been if he'd been having a good day.

She went in search of the honey. The general store was just opening up, and praise God, it did have a jar with a honeycomb and the natural, golden sweetener inside. The storekeeper gave it to her free of charge in gratitude for locating the coming treasure.

On her way back to the house, she stopped in front of the patch of ground they'd had their picnic on, the site of the future church. She clucked chidingly to herself. The town hadn't even started breaking ground on it. They weren't taking advantage of the mild, pretty weather.

"This is where it is?" a voice asked. It was Mr. Berg again.

"Oh my soul, you got a way of sneaking up on a body," she said, thankful she hadn't dropped the jar in her startlement.

He continued to stare, waiting on an answer.

"No. Just taking a walk is all." She didn't dare mention the cemetery aloud until she figured out the exact spot. With all those many, many holes from before, it was no telling what the townsfolk might do should they find out. The people would probably disturb the rest of their departed citizens with few qualms. "I was just wondering why building ain't commenced."

"Ms. St. Martin's lawyer is in charge of seeing the will carried out and he don't live here. He got some men from town together for the job and said he'd be back to check on the progress in about a month. They're supposed to start on the church first and then the home."

"So why ain't they?"

"They're too busy trying looking for treasure. Some people are still digging, trying to get to the treasure first, even with you here. They've just been better about filling the holes in."

"Don't they want a church?" she demanded.

"Not as much as they want the gold or jewelry or whatever it is that's been left us."

She was angry, wondering if she should even keep looking. The town of Dry Gulch was more interested in their pockets than their souls. Maybe she should start the revival first, but if Sunday was any indication, it wouldn't be well attended.

"I'll see you later, brother. My husband's waiting on this here honey."

Ruth slammed the door as she came into the house. She was mad. Didn't they see what a mistake it was to put money before spiritual matters? But that wasn't just Dry Gulch's problem. It was an epidemic across the world and she hated to think she was feeding that lust for riches in any way.

She passed by the children's room. They were all up now and Mercy's toys were still laying in the floor. Untouched except for the 2 dolls in her hands.

"For land's sake, Mercy! I thought I told you to pick up your toys earlier! Don't you listen? Pick up these toys or you ain't going to see them for a long time."

Mercy's lips wobbled and her eyes filled. Ruth wasn't in the habit of yelling even when she was angry. She normally kept a better rein on her temper than that. It was a combination of worrying over Kid and people of Dry Gulch. And she felt bad about it. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. It's not really you I'm angry with, but do put your toys up. I meant what I said about cleaning up in here."

Mercy gave a simple nod and Isaiah moved to help her, which warmed Ruth's heart. Her son sometimes seemed in a world all by himself, but at other times, he could be the most caring little boy she knew.

She hurried to check on Kid, who was sitting up in bed. She might be overreacting where the honey and bed rest was concerned, but she didn't like him taking chances with his health.

She'd brought a spoon in from the kitchen. "How do you want it? Just the honey or you want a piece of the honeycomb too? I'll make you some tea and put some in there too when you go to eat your breakfast."

He smiled and said suggestively, "No spoon. I want you to break a piece off and feed it to me."

She smiled back. He couldn't have been feeling too poorly and that was a load off her mind. She'd been prepared to stave off the Bible word hunt for the day, but his color looked good and he was less hoarse already. "Lucky for you, I'm feeling generous right now. Especially since it'll mean I won't have to wash the spoon."

She couldn't help thinking how blessed this family was despite the struggles they sometimes faced. She wished there was a way to make the people in this town count their own blessings, blessings that didn't include treasure.


	8. Chapter 8

"Ezra!" she cried the following day.

"Ezra?" Kid repeated, looking at his wife for explanation.

"The answer's in the second chapter of Ezra. All 3 of those B names are there, but there are a ton of names that "keep company" with them. I don't know how I'm going to figure out the right one."

She had told him her conjecture that the next location was the cemetery. "You probably won't know until you go have a look at the graveyard."

After lunch, that's where they went. There weren't many graves yet, the town still being so new, less than 25 though she'd not done a count. Mercy and Isaiah skipped and ran among the headstones, unable yet to understand the sadness that marked the place.

"Don't walk over the graves," Ruth warned them.

"Why?" Mercy asked.

That was a good question. Mostly because her mother had told her so.

"It's a sign of respect to those in the grave and to their families," Kid answered.

"And if Jesus were to come back today, the graves will go busting open and you might get knocked over. Their bodies go up first, you know," Ruth added with a twinkle in her eye.

Though she was teasing, that explanation seemed to make more sense to Mercy's mind than Kid's explanation. "Oh. Okay."

Ruth and Kid took to reading the headstones. The townspeople knew something was up with them walking around and reading the names then looking into the Bible to check it against the passage. Not to mention the fact that Kid had brought a shovel along. People began to gather.

Charles Bronson. Tom Hanson. Solomon Elam. The last name gave her pause. It was a wooden cross marked with a burned image of a cross and the year 1845, the current year. Her hunch had been to look out for an Ezra, but there was both a Solomon and an Elam mentioned in the passage, and not a single Ezra among the bunch.

Most of the townspeople stood around them now. An outsider who happened upon them might think they'd stumbled onto a funeral. Except no one wore black, apart from Kid, and no one looked sad.

"Who was Solomon?" she asked the people. They had turned out handy, all gathered around like that. If he'd been a real person, somebody would surely know.

And no one did. There was much chatter and speculation. And the conclusion was that it had been placed without anyone knowing sometime since the last funeral, which had been September of last year.

That made her 99.9 percent sure that this was the right grave, and yet, when Kid and 2 other men with shovels took to digging the ground in front of her, she couldn't help feeling unsettled.

Holding a squirming Gideon, to keep him away from the digging men, she went around, talking and socializing with the women.

They dug for a few hours, stopping every so often to drink the water one of the women had brought. Then another woman brought food and it turned into a regular party. They eventually got down to the customary 6 feet and came up with a coffin.

"Oh, Lord, what have we done?" Ruth asked. "Put it back. I guess I was wrong. Somebody's buried there after all."

Kid, now more than a little dirt-smudged, told her, "It's as light as a feather. There's no body in here. I'd bet on it."

"What if it's a baby or a child?" She'd assumed 1845 was the year the person had died upon first glance, but what if they was the year they were born as well.

"No one's going to use this long a coffin for that," Kid assured her.

She still turned away when it was opened, hiding Gideon's view of it too. A needless gesture though as there was no body. Just a treasure box of the same size as the others. There was a whoosh of relief that came flying from her lungs.

Mercy was too spooked given where it'd been to open this one, so Kid did and found a piece of paper that he handed to Ruth.

She read it aloud for everybody. "Women of old gathered here in the cool of the day except for the one whose husbands are many. Draw deep and you will be satisfied. Like the herdsmen of Gerar argue with this man to be fruitful."

There was plenty of grumbling as the crowd dispersed. They were beginning to lose hope of finding it. 2 stayed behind though, Mr. Berg and Ms. De La Fountaine. The latter only held out her hand as Kid fished out the diary page.

She read the entry. "The dragoons came back, but we, Maman and I, escaped in the night while they slept in our beds. We followed the river into Holland and then to England, where we got passage on a ship to America. That is where I write from now, the ship. Maman brought Grand-mère's jewelry with us: a ruby bracelet, an emerald necklace, and diamond earrings. I want so much to like our new home. I wonder what it will be like even as I cry for Papa. -Nanette

"That's the treasure! The jewelry. Maybe there was even more not mentioned." If greed could register as little dollar signs in a man's eyes, Mr. Berg would have them.

Ms. De La Fountaine, on the other hand, kept a cool reserve at the mention of possible family heirlooms though it must have been eating her up inside.

Ruth doubted the mentioned jewels was the treasure however. They surely used it to get to America and to get settled here. She was more positive than ever that the treasure was something else entirely.


	9. Chapter 9

"I found it, Momma!" Mercy shouted excitedly the next morning. "They argued with Isaac."

Ruth took Mercy's proffered Bible and looked at where she was pointing, a verse in Genesis. "Yes, you did, didn't you? You're a very smart girl."

Mercy glowed as Ruth looked closely at the surrounding verses.

"Gets it from me," Kid added, causing Ruth and Mercy both to chuckle.

Ruth took a closer look at the passage. It also referred to a well like the other parts of the clue, which it made it perfectly clear that it was indeed a well they were looking for.

Ruth did the laundry first, having neglected it for too long, then the family set out to find Mr. Berg.

"Is there anyone with the name Isaac in your town?" Ruth asked the man, who they found in his house for once.

A strange look passed in his eyes. "He's the one with the treasure?"

"It might be hidden on his property."

"No Isaac that I know of, but there is a Mr. William Isaacs."

"Close enough that it's probably him," she said. "Where does he live?"

Mr. Berg took them there. Mr. Isaacs was out digging in his garden. He was stooped with age, but he didn't let that stop him.

"Good afternoon, brother," Ruth said cheerfully. "Do you have a well by chance?"

He gave her a puzzled look before answering, "I do, but it's not in use anymore. I get my water from my daughter's well. Why? Thirsty?"

"No, we think that's where the treasure might be. Or at least near it. Can you show us?" she asked.

He rose shakily to his feet. "Right back here behind the house. Wouldn't that be something if the treasure was hidden right under my nose all this time?"

Kid started out digging alone, but slowly more joined him in his digging until the numbers grew to yesterday's size. They dug around the well as close as they could get to it and dug and dug some more.

It took the rest of the day. The women brought lunch again. The children had games. It got to be near suppertime though and still no luck.

"I guess I was wrong this time," Ruth said. "Sorry, folks, for wasting your time."

"What if it's in the well?" Kid asked his wife with sudden inspiration.

"In the well?" she repeated. "How could she have submerged the treasure box without causing damage to whatever's inside?"

"It's dry as a bone in there now." Mr. Isaacs spoke up. "Not a drop of water. Might be something down there sure enough."

So Mercy and Isaiah took turns turning the crank that lowered the well bucket until they all heard a clunk as the wood hit metal.

"It's down there alright or something is. The question is how are we going to get it up?" Kid asked.

"Mercy, run and bring back your father's fishing pole," Ruth instructed.

Mercy took off her long legs just a flying, her skirt barely hampering her at all. She wasn't so much fast as she was able to cover a lot of ground because she was so tall for her age. She was back with it in less than a minute.

It was probably the first time someone had gone fishing in a well. Kid cast the line and tried to see to the bottom. "I can't see," he said. "It's too dark down there."

Some other children were instructed by their mothers to run for candles and strings. On arrival, the fathers tied the strings around the candles and 3 candles were lowered in with the fishing pole, providing just enough light for Kid to see by.

"Careful. If you drop them, you could set the treasure box on fire," Mr. Berg fretted.

The way the treasure box was designed, it had a handle on top that he was able to hook onto. That took some finagling though. Then he had to go slowly pulling it up. One wrong slip and he would have to start the process all over. He was a good 10 minutes getting it up. Someone else had fetched a net and as soon as it was close enough, scooped it on up with the net.

"That's the hardest bit of fishing I've ever done," Kid said. "Though it might turn out the best catch I've ever made."

Ruth opened it up to find nothing but another clue. There was an audible groan from more than one person on that discovery, but she read it aloud anyway.

"At last the end is in sight and you have reached the final clue," cheers erupted with that bit of news. "Go to the pillar and ground of the truth. In the house of the righteous is much treasure: but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble."

Ms. De La Fountaine must have let go of her grudge because she'd been at the unofficial town gathering since this afternoon. Ruth handed her the diary page.

"The journey was long and difficult, but we have made it and are living in America. I found out what the dragoons were looking for, the Word of God, to take from us and burn, but he Bible was hidden in Maman's chignon and has been all along. It is small and fits in the palm of my hand, but it is complete. We have bought a bigger one in this new land that is easier to read, but this one shall always remain special to me. Grand-père sent us a letter that Papa died in prison. I can't help wishing he was with us though I know he is happy being with the Lord as Maman says. I don't understand much English yet, but our teacher reads to us from the Holy Bible every morning at school. Truly this is the land of the free. -Nanette"

Ruth held her Bible a little closer. Some might have thought her silly almost always carrying her Bible with her, but others had suffered and even died so that this book might be in her hands, in all their hands. And there were places in the world still, where owning this most precious of books was illegal. She couldn't even imagine her life without the instruction and message provided in it by God. The words contained in its pages were not dangerous. Instead, it gave life to the dead in sin. She prayed she would never take the freedom to openly carry a Bible around for granted.


	10. Chapter 10

"Did you find treasure?" Mr. Berg asked as he walked by the house, a common refrain on his lips these days. There was a distinctive eagerness in the quiver of his mustache.

Mercy, who was hunting dandelions in the yard for her mother, so Ruth could fix a salad with them, looked up and considered. They'd found lots of treasure boxes so far. Where had he been? She nodded shyly her answer. Then she hurried into the house with her gathered weeds.

Kid was out of the house. Ruth had sent him fishing. With a solid week of him watching the kids almost entirely on his own while she read, she'd told him he deserved a break. And it was a break for her to have a full day to work on the chores and play with the children. She was fidgeting every time she sat down anymore. She just wasn't wired to sit still for very long.

Ruth was in the middle of rinsing off the dandelions when there was a knock at the door. She dried her hands off and answered it to find Mr. Berg and Ms. De La Fontaine.

"What a pleasant surprise," Ruth said. Though she thought it strange they were now spending time together, she didn't say so. Instead, she smiled and invited them in, a move she quickly regretted.

"Okay. Where is it?" Mr. Berg demanded.

"Where's what?"

"The treasure. I know you have it. A little birdie told me." He looked right at Mercy as he said it. He pulled out a gun to show he wasn't playing around.

"You misunderstood. I haven't figured the last clue out yet," she said, keeping a calm she didn't feel as she quickly took note of where each of the children were while praying in her mind.

He followed her darting eyes and asked, "Where's your husband?"

"He'll be back any minute," she lied.

"Better make this quick then. Where's the treasure?"

"I told you. We haven't found it." Her heart beat erratically. What if he didn't believe them? Or worse, what if he did? What was he going to do to them?

"You lie. He better not be off selling it. Although if he comes back with cash, that'll make my job easier."

"Should've known better than to trust outsiders," said Ms. De La Fountaine accusingly.

Ruth experienced a flicker of hope. Maybe she could appeal to her feminine sympathy. She looked to Ms. De La Fountaine and begged, "Please, the kids are frightened. Do what you want with me, but let them go. They've nothing to do with this."

"So they can run and tell your husband or someone else? How stupid do you think we are?" she returned in frigid tones and an even colder look.

During the course of the conversation, Mercy had inched her way towards the bedrooms, stepping lightly. Ruth knew exactly what she was going to get. That worried her, but then again it might be their only chance.

There had to be a distraction, so they didn't have the opportunity to realize Mercy was missing. They were already moving things around in the search for the treasure. If they caught Mercy before she got it, it didn't bear thinking about.

"I'm having chest pains," Ruth complained, doubling over and clutching at her chest. Taking care to look in pain and produce labored breathing.

"She's too young to be having heart pains," Ms. De La Fountaine scoffed.

"You sure about that? We don't want to kill anyone," Mr. Berg argued back.

"You might not, but I'll kill anyone who gets in my way of what's owed me," she said.

Mr. Berg seemed to be reconsidering teaming up with this woman.

Still feigning heart trouble, Ruth asked. "Why would you do this when you already get a share of the profits, the both of you."

"There's more to go around between just 2 people than a whole town," Ms. De La Fountaine answered. "Really. Does it have to be spelled out for you?"

 _click_

All heads turned toward Mercy, who was now holding the gun that Kid had won in a shooting contest. He'd done it for the prize money to support his family, but he'd kept the pistol to one day give to Mercy when she was old enough to handle one without supervision. Seemed that day had come sooner than any of them had thought.

"She's just a little girl with a gun, you idiot," Ms. De La Fountaine said, breaking the silence at last. "Get it from her."

"She's worse than that. She's Kid Cole's daughter." He was afraid of stepping closer or pointing a gun towards her or any of her family. Afraid it would result in a swift and accurate shot from this little auburn-haired girl.

"So?" Ms. De La Fountaine replied, not seeing the problem.

"So he's the fastest draw in the west. You don't think he's taught her to use a gun? Look at the way she's holding it. She knows how to use it."

Except she'd never shot a person before. Her daughter's heart was too soft even to hunt. She'd cried once when she'd stepped on and killed a caterpillar. If she had to end up shooting a human being to protect her family, only the Lord knew what it'd do to her. She prayed to God for another way.

"Then shoot her," Ms. De La Fountaine said as if there could be no other conclusion.

Ruth cried out in terror and a plea to God before a gun went off. Ruth glanced about the room wildly, afraid of where the bullet might have gone and not knowing whose gun had been fired.

Then Kid came running out of the shadows, having snuck in through a bedroom window. Her fears eased immediately. Kid had only fired a warning shot, but it served its purpose well. The confusion had allowed him to catch Mr. Berg off guard and wrestle him and his gun to the ground.

Ms. De La Fountaine tried to make a run for it, but being unarmed, Ruth wasn't a bit frightened of the woman and tackled her to the ground. Roughhousing with her brothers growing up had finally paid off. Kid tied up Mr. Berg first and then came to relieve her of her prisoner.

Mercy had lowered the gun she held and was crying tears of relief. Ruth had wet eyes herself as she went over to hug her and comfort the boys as well. Gideon was crying because of the gunshot. Isaiah looked more mad at the intruders than anything, a feeling she could relate to. "Thank God you cut your fishing trip short, but why did you?" she asked Kid.

"I saw them walking together and figured they were coming to harass you about not looking for the answer to the clue today. I had no idea they'd stoop to this, but I'm awful glad I came to check."

The holding cell was put to good use. The same holding cell they'd found the third clue in. Mr. Berg insisted it was all Ms. De La Fountaine's idea. Ms. De La Fountaine said nothing just stared them down defiantly, still believing herself the rightful heir as a cousin and caregiver to Ms. St. Martin.

The town was in an uproar over it once the news got out. Mostly they were indignant the two'd had plans on leaving town with the treasure. Kid had Mercy bring his guitar and sat himself in front of the locked door to wile away time until he could escort them to a judge and a full-time facility.

It was all so terribly sad and tragic, Ruth thought. The things people would do over treasure: lie, steal, kill. A verse came to her mind just then. "Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith."


	11. Chapter 11

Kid smiled at Mercy as she brought him lunch, but he was concerned for her. His daughter was usually full of sunshine and laughter with just a hint of mischievousness thrown in. Today she was morose. Her steps seemed weighted.

"Thank you, darling," he said as he took the basket from her. "You alright?" he asked, reaching for her hand.

She slipped her hand into his and nodded.

He guessed what was wrong without her saying though. "It's never easy holding a gun on people, is it?"

She shook her head, eyes blurring just a bit.

"It's even harder to shoot them, believe me. It should never be done lightly, but I'm proud of you. You protected your momma and brothers without hurting anyone."

"Only because you came in time."

"And you made sure there was time." He drew her into a hug. "The Lord was watching out for us. All of us."

"That's what Momma said." Her voice sounded stronger and she gave him a smile.

"And she's right. She generally is." He rubbed his hands together as he unpacked the basket. Fried lamb chops, still warm. Corn on the cob, sliced tomatoes, and biscuits. There was also half a strawberry pie. "And she's a mighty good cook too. You can tell her I said that."

She chuckled like he'd hoped she would and said, "Momma says to remind you some of that's for the prisoners."

"Of course," he grumbled. Not because he could begin to eat all the food she'd packed but because they deserved only bread and water, in his opinion, not his wife's good cooking.

Mercy then headed back to eat her own lunch. He figured he might as well give them their part now. He divided it out among the 3 provided plates and took it in.

"Lunch is here," he told the would-be thieves, opening the door only enough to slide their plates in. "Courtesy of Sister Ruth, the woman you held a gun on."

"I only wanted the treasure," Mr. Berg mumbled.

If he was looking for pity from him, he was looking in the wrong place, but he had to admit, he seemed less hard-hearted than his fellow prisoner.

"I could have escaped to Texas," Ms. De La Fountaine said with a faraway look.

"Except Texas won't be a country much longer. It's in the process of becoming a state," Kid said.

"Mexico then," she said, not happy that he was nitpicking.

"Well, none of that matters now, does it? The only thing ya'll will be seeing for the next few years if you're lucky is the inside of a cell."

sss

Sister Ruth had less time to search the Bible now that she was watching the children while Kid watched the prisoners, but she still found moments to search the holy pages. And she found the clue only a couple days later. The pillar, the ground of truth, referred to a church. Except there was no church. Not yet.

But there was ground set aside for the church. She went to the window and she could see the plot of land, untouched and unturned. The one place the townspeople hadn't put their shovels to.

As Ruth changed Gideon, she informed the older children, "Get ya'll's shoes on. We're going treasure hunting."

Isaiah didn't look as excited as he had on previous occasions. "I don't want to."

Mercy, on the other hand, had scrambled to get her shoes on and came to the rescue. "Yes, you do. This time it's for true. The last note said so."

Ruth stopped to talk to Kid on their way there. "It's at the church or what will be the church. You going along?"

"I'd rather keep an eye on our friends in there. Once you get the treasure, I'll get a couple men to go with me to get them to a more permanent situation. You and the children can stay here and have the revival until I get back."

"We'll be in safe hands with Mercy," she said, playfully ruffling her daughter's head and then putting an arm around her.

As always the townspeople were watching her like a hawk lest she find the treasure without them, but she was glad of it. For there was a lot of ground to dig at. Men, women, and children, buoyed with excitement all helped dig. There were shovels and spades and hoes hard at work, and a lot of the kids used sticks.

It was a child who found it some hours later, one of the children that lived in town. Rather than taking it to his parents, he ran it over to Sister Ruth.

This box was heavier than any of the others had been. Not by much, but enough to know it was the one with the treasure in it.

The crowd circled in like sharks who smelled blood. Isaiah tried opening it, but he couldn't. Then Mercy tried followed by Ruth, but it wasn't budging.

"Wouldn't you just know it? It's stuck," Ruth said to the townspeople.

The hefty blacksmith proved he could still run as he went and fetched a crowbar. He pried it open himself, but he didn't take out the treasure. He just looked in at it as if he couldn't make heads or tails of it.

Ruth reached in and pulled it out herself. It was as she'd guessed. The treasure was a Bible and not just any Bible but the Bible Nanette's mother had hidden in her hair. The pages were yellowed and the binding weak. It looked to be too fragile to open, but it was worth more than all the gold and treasure in the world.

"Just think if we'd done as the will said, we'd have had the treasure from the very beginning," someone said.

"Yeah, but who wants it? It's just an old Bible. We were tricked," grumbled another.

"Unless maybe it's worth something because of the history?" one of them suggested.

"You think somebody'd buy it?" said the second hopefully.

"There's a letter," Ruth said, stopping the conversation, and she began to read as this one was actually in English. "By now you are all wondering, why this crazy old lady left you a Bible. Or maybe I'm wrong and you all collectively decided to build the church before looking for the town treasure. In either case, I have left you my most valued treasure. If you have not found all the boxes, I have provided a map with all the marked locations, so that you may find and read the story of my how my family came to America. I hope you have discovered joy in the Word as you have sought the next treasure chest for that's how vigorously the Lord would have us seek after Him until we understand that 'the law of thy mouth _is_ better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.' I hope you will remember my great-great grandmother Nanette's story. Remember by this little book that men and women have given their possessions, their homes, and even their very lives that you might possess and be able to read this greatest of treasures. How I long to see this town that I love worshiping together. Maybe I will. God bless you all until we meet again in heaven. Signed Eunice St. Martin."

It was so silent when she finished that the only thing that could be heard was the chirping of the birds and the rustling of the wind. But the words had gotten to all but a few by the repentant and touched looks. They had started to build the town church today in more ways than one.


	12. Chapter 12

The church was small but beautiful. God willing, the town of Dry Gulch would grow and the church along with it. It had been named St. Martin's Church of Fellowship and Brotherly Love.

The diary pages along with English translations, Eunice St. Martin's letter, and the small Bible had been encased in a glass case as a reminder of what a treasure the Word of God was.

Sister Ruth let out a happy sigh as she took a seat on one of the pews with her family. The revival had gone very well. There had been a few physical healings, but mostly there had been spiritual healings as folks were either baptized or rededicated themselves to God. She liked to think Eunice was smiling down on it all. This is what the lady had been hoping would come from her unusual will, a town who saw their need for a church as much as she did.

Kid had already taken the captives to get their trial and prison time and came back. Mr. Berg and Ms. De La Fountaine were both serving a sentence in a prison about 20 miles away. And Ruth prayed it would give them time to think about the error of their ways and make a change when they got out.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the offering basket was passed to her. She didn't put anything in it because she'd given the money to the children to give. Mercy and Isaac each got to drop a coin in.

There were American coins, as well as a few foreign ones in the offering basket. The U.S. wasn't choosy about where the coin came from due to a lack of precious metals just as the Lord wasn't choosy about where a person came from or what they looked like, souls were all the same to Him. She was happy to see there was more than one ethnic group represented in the people. It wasn't always that way in every church, but it was always that way in God's kingdom. Every kindred and tongue and people and nation, the Bible said.

The new preacher had arrived just a couple of days ago, fresh-faced and newly trained. His sermon today was on the awkward side as he stuttered and fumbled for the right passages and words. Overall, the message on Christian perseverance ended up being a little disjointed. None of it was false, however, and it was full of passion. He would make a fine minister. His sermons would improve with experience.

The congregation stood for the closing song.

"Jesus, priceless Treasure,  
Fount of purest pleasure,  
Truest Friend to me.  
Ah, how long in anguish  
Shall my spirit languish,  
Yearning, Lord, for Thee?  
Thou art mine, O Lamb divine!  
I will suffer naught to hide Thee,  
Naught I ask beside Thee."

It wasn't a hymn she was familiar with, but she liked it. There couldn't have been a better hymn to christen St. Martin's first service.

"Hence, all fear and sadness!  
For the Lord of gladness,  
Jesus, enters in.  
Those who love the Father,  
Though the storms may gather,  
Still have peace within.  
Yea, whate'er I here must bear,  
Thou art still my purest Pleasure,  
Jesus, priceless Treasure!"

On leaving the church, she could see the construction going on for the home for widows and orphans. It would be open to not just the town of Dry Gulch but for the surrounding area too. Families who'd lost their male provider and had no relatives to assist would find refuge here. She would have liked to stay and see the home up and running too, but there were folks that needed ministering to and her work here was complete though the Lord's work was just beginning.

"I wonder if our next town will have hidden treasure," Mercy said wistfully.

"Somehow I doubt it," she answered her with a grin, "but it will be an adventure. Life with the Lord always is."

 _Real Universe_

Kid Cole and Sister Ruth were off the beach and walking the hilly streets of San Francisco back to their hotel.

On a corner stood a painfully thin boy of about 6 or 7 wearing ragged clothing and holding out his cap as people walked by, people who were ignoring him completely for the most part as if he were invisible or part of the scenery.

Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. A child shouldn't have to beg in the streets. She prayed for him even as they walked towards him.

"Where are your parents?" she asked as soon as they drew close enough, bending down a bit so as not to seem intimidating. If he said he had none, she was going to take him in until he had a home.

"Pa's sick. He can't work and Ma's having a hard time finding work. Can you spare a few cents?"

"I can do better than that, son," Kid said, sticking the Spanish coin in his cap. "You take it home to your ma. Tell her if a collector don't want to buy it that it's at least solid gold and not to take a small sum for it."

"Yes, sir," the boy said, eyes lighting up. A thank you was thrown over his shoulder as he ran home to show his parents the coin.

"I thought you were going to keep it," Ruth commented.

"Nah. Can't take it with you. He had more need of it than we did."

She tucked her hand into his elbow, agreeing completely. He was so generous. He didn't think twice about giving things away. "I love you." She went up on tiptoes and gave him a quick peck to the cheek.

He smiled. "That kiss alone was worth finding pirate gold. Maybe I ought to turn around and comb the beach for some more."

She chuckled. "You do and you'll be going at it alone. I'm beat."

"There you go spoiling my dreams of being a professional treasure hunter," he teased. But he really thought he had to be the wealthiest man in the world with the love of this woman and God.

The End


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